Learn how to make the best Vegan Japanese Curry with this easy recipe. Chunks of carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and soy curls stewed in a rich, thick and sweet sauce – it’s the perfect weeknight comfort dinner! (Gluten Free)
If I had to choose one comfort dish for the rest of my life, it would be Japanese curry. Ready for the best vegan Japanese curry recipe? This is the real-deal, friends!
What is Japanese curry?
Curry rice, or kare rice (カレ-ライス) is a dish that was introduced to Japan around the late 1800’s by the British, when India was under the colonial rule. It was originally a stew-style dish mixed with curry powder served to the Japanese Imperial Navy. It started to gain popularity and then the Japanese adapted the dish to suit their tastes, which is now known are kare rice. By the 1950s, more and more restaurants served curry and commercial curry roux cubes were easily accessible in supermarkets for home cooks.
Curry rice is now considered a staple, national dish that everyone across Japan is familiar with and enjoyed by both adults and children. Nowadays, you’ll also find it served in other ways such as soups, with udon, soba, ramen, buns, tempura, fried rice, yaki curry and more!
What does Japanese curry taste like? (Japanese vs. Indian or Thai Curry)
Japanese curry is much thicker and stew-like in consistency– kind of like hayashi rice. It’s also distinctively sweeter, much less spicy than Indian or Thai curry. There is also a lot of other seasonings added that you typically would not find in Indian or Thai curry such as apples or pickles. Originally, curry was always only served with rice.
What is Japanese Curry Roux?
Japanese curry roux is a mixture of flour, butter and curry powder. In Japan, it’s sold in cubes that look like a chocolate bar for convenience.
Japanese curry is highly popular for two reasons: 1) it tastes SO GOOD and 2) it’s very (VERY) easy to make. What makes it so easy? The curry roux cubes. Instead of using a bunch of spices, Japanese people rely on store bought curry roux.
99% of the time, I’d say homemade is better but honestly you can’t beat the boxed stuff. Maybe I’m a little bias because I grew up eating it and its nostalgic but I think many people can agree on this one with me. If you’ve never tried Japanese curry using the roux cubes, I highly suggest trying it first before making a homemade.
If you can’t find curry roux or want a healthier version, I have a homemade curry cube recipe as well as instructions to make it with just curry powder down below.
Levels of spiciness
Each brand of curry roux blocks comes with 3 levels of spiciness: mild, medium, and hot. However, because these are made with Japanese taste in mind– the hot is not really that spicy. To make your curry spicy without affecting the flavour, add a touch of cayenne pepper and black pepper.
Is Japanese curry roux vegan?
Before, there was never such thing as ‘vegan’ curry cubes. However, in recent years S&B has come out with a meat-free curry roux. Torokersu curry cubes are also vegan.
Ingredients
- Onions
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Mushrooms
- Carrots
- Potatoes: Yukon gold potatoes are best because they won’t melt into the curry.
- Soy curls: or any vegan meat substitute of your choice
- Apple
- Vegetable broth
- Curry roux: store bought (S&B Golden Vegetarian or Torokeru brand) or homemade.
How to cut the vegetables
I grew up with large chunks of vegetables in my curry and its something I definitely do prefer. Some people will cut them pretty small for faster cooking but I find that the vegetables then melt into the actual curry (which is fine if you don’t mind that). I recommend cutting the onions into wedges, potatoes into 1 inch chunks, carrots into 1 inch chunks or diagonally chopped and mushrooms sliced in half.
Customize your curry + Kakushi Aji
Straight out of the box, you have a good curry but adding other condiments and flavourings is the key for really delicious Japanese curry.
Both my grandma and mom would mix two different brands with different spice levels of curry roux for a more complex flavour (Torokeru & Golden Curry were our go-tos). Then they would add kakushi aji ingredients, which are ‘hidden flavours‘ that come from all kinds of condiments. The most common you’ll see Japanese people use are apples, ketchup and honey. In our household, we always added Worcestershire or Tonkatsu sauce! Here are more ingredients you can try adding (bolded are ones I’ve tried):
- Apples
- Banana (yes, really)
- Ketchup
- Worcestershire sauce
- Tonkatsu sauce
- Soy sauce
- Coffee
- Chocolate (yes, reaaaallly x 2)
- Cocoa powder
- Mirin
- Caramelized onions (store bought or homemade)*
- Sake
- Rice vinegar
- White or red wine
- Yogurt
I always like to make a big batch of caramelized onions (see photo above) and keep it in a jar of caramelized onions in the freezer or fridge to save time. To make caramelized onions, simply dice the onions finely and cook over medium low heat with a bit of oil until super soft and jam-like consistency.
How to make it
Japanese curry is one of the easiest meals to make, which is what makes it so popular among busy moms! Plus it’s great for parties and potlucks because you can easily make a big batch too with minimal effort. Here’s how it goes down:
- Add the vegetables: Cook the onions for about a minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add mushrooms, carrots and potatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Simmer: Add the water, veggie stock powder and grated apple. Bring it up to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low, letting it simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
- Add the roux: Turn heat to low. Chop up the curry cube (see photo above) to make it easier to dissolve it into the curry. Dissolve the curry roux in using a ladle and chopsticks. Then stir in your choice of seasonings and condiments.
- Finish it off: Let it simmer for about 5 minutes to let the curry thicken.
How to serve & side condiments
There are so many ways you can serve the curry (udon, soba, katsu… etc) but for the classic curry rice, simply serve with a bed of fresh cooked Japanese white rice.
One last ingredient I want to highlight to experience true Japanese curry is Fukujinzuke. Fukujinzuke is picked vegetables (usually daikon) in soy sauce and umeboshi (sweet plum) vinegar. You can find this at any Japanese grocery store and some Asian markets in the refrigerator section.
How to store
Once cooled, transfer to a air tight container and store in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat on the stove over low heat or in the microwave.
How to freeze leftovers
Curry is freezer friendly and will last for 1 month, but it is important to remove the potatoes because they don’t thaw well.
How to make it without roux
If you don’t have curry roux or cubes on hand, you can easily make this with just the curry powder as well! We’re essentially making a ‘small batch’ roux in which you’ll need:
- 200g onions, finely diced
- 5 tbsp oil or vegan butter
- 4 tbsp sweet rice flour or all purpose flour
- 3 tbsp Japanese curry powder
- 3 garlic cloves (9g // minus amount of recipe card)
- 2 tbsp ginger (30g // minus amount of recipe card)
Steps:
Add 1 tbsp of oil to a pan and cook the onions until caramelized over medium heat (takes about 10 minutes). Add garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute. Add remaining oil or vegan butter. Once melted, add the flour and curry powder and cook for another minute stirring frequently. The ‘roux’ is complete.
Then simply add in the remaining 300g of onions, mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and soy curls with vegetable broth. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, add grated apple and cover with a lid. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Finally, stir in any other flavours of your choice and then serve!
How to make it in an instant pot
- Select sauté option on the instant pot. Once it’s hot, fry the onions, garlic and ginger for 1-2 minutes. Add in the carrots, potatoes and soy curls, and mix. Add 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth.
- Add the curry cubes on top and do not mix. If using homemade cubes, add them while they are still frozen. If they are at room temperature, add it after the instant pot is finished to prevent it from burning.
- Cancel saute, cover and lock the lid and ensure steam release is set to sealing. Pressure cook on manual high for 8-10 minutes, depending on how ‘firm’ you want your vegetables.
- Set steam release to venting and let the steam out or let it release naturally. Unlock the lid, set to sauté (low heat) and mix in your flavourings. Taste and adjust flavour accordingly (salt, pepper, etc). Lastly, stir in the roux until melted and then serve.
More Vegan Japanese Curry Recipes
- Japanese curry powder
- Japanese kabocha curry
- Homemade curry roux cubes
- Japanese curry for one
- Vegan katsu curry
- Curry udon
- Yaki curry
- Omu rice curry
- Kare pan (deep fried Japanese curry buns)
- Curry buns (baked Japanese curry buns)
- Curry fried rice
SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓
If you recreate this Authentic Vegan Japanese Curry recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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Best Vegan Japanese Curry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
Real deal Vegan Japanese curry with chunks of veggies stewed in a rich, sweet and mega flavourful sauce. Served over rice for the perfect weeknight comfort meal.
Ingredients
For the Curry
- 1 large onion, sliced into wedges (300g)
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tsp ginger, grated
- ½ package mushrooms (150g)
- 1 carrot, cut into wedges (150g)
- 2–3 potatoes (250g)
- 3/4 cup soy curls (about 60g dry and 120g rehydrated)
- ½ small apple, grated (100g)
- 2 ½ cup water (625ml)
- ½ box curry roux cubes (120g // or about 240-270g homemade curry cubes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Kakushi aji (hidden flavours)
- 1/4 cup caramelized onions (62g)
- 1 tbsp Japanese Worcester or Tonkatsu sauce (15ml)
- 1 tbsp ketchup (15ml)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (15ml // tamari for gluten free)
- 1 tbsp sugar of choice (14g)
- 1 tsp cocoa powder (3g)
- 1 tsp instant coffee (3g)
To serve
- 4 cups Japanese white rice, cooked
- fukushinzuke (pickled soy sauce vegetables)
- parsley
Instructions
- Over medium high heat, add onions and fry for 1 minute. Add in garlic and ginger and fry for another minute. Add in the mushrooms, carrots, potatoes and soy curls, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add water and grated apple. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low and simmer for 15 minutes or until you can pierce a toothpick through it.
- Turn off the heat. Chop up the roux into small pieces (makes it easier to dissolve). Add the chopped roux to a soup ladle and dissolve it well into the curry. Stir in kakushi aji mixture. Add any other kakushiaji.
- Turn heat to low and simmer to thicken, about 5 minutes.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
Notes
- Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer) with added flavour and 1 cup of cooked rice per serving.
- Category: entree
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: vegan, japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 513
- Sugar: 12.1
- Sodium: 1379
- Fat: 11.7
- Saturated Fat: 5.6
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.4
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 86.5
- Fiber: 6.7
- Protein: 14.8
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: vegan japanese curry, vegetarian japanese curry, easy japanaese curry, homemade japanese curry
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Thank your or sharing your creative take on a Japanese classic! I also made a vegan Japanese curry if you want to read about it but this is so inspiring and I’ll definitely have to try it out 🙂
Made this with my roommates yesterday and it was honestly amazing! We were plenty skeptical about the cocoa and instant coffee at first, but it brought so much depth to the flavor of the curry. I can see this becoming my go to recipe. Thank you so much for sharing~~
★★★★★
Has become a staple – especially as the colder months roll in. This recipe was my introduction to vegan Japanese curry and I love all the tips and tricks and ingredient suggestions. I feel very savvy in adding flavors.
★★★★★
Loved this recipe! I did a few alterations. I added a opal apple…so good! I used Hannah Yams instead of potatoes. I added broccoli crowns and omitted the onions in the curry sauce. I made the roux cubes! So easy to make…!! Will continue to use this recipe…I used shallots instead…and it did alter the flavor…But still tasty. Thanks for this curry week recipes! My favorite is Japanese curry and I’m glad I can make a おいしone!
★★★★★
Made this today – my first time trying a Japanese Curry! It was soooo good! The carrots soaked up the flavor to perfection. It’s quite easy to make once you have the homemade roux ready to go. I’m happy I have more of those cubes in the freezer so that I can make it again soon! It’s super customizable and I’m excited to play around with different add ins.
★★★★★
Delicious as always! I used applesauce instead of grated apple and added in some extra veggies, but this was so easy and bomb! Excited to keep playing with the add-ins to change the flavor profile!
★★★★★
I made this curry three days ago as a meal prep. It was FANTASTIC!! So much depth of flavour, and so well balanced. I loved reading about the anthropology of this dish in the article as well. It’s inspired me to experiment with kakushi-aji in the other curries/sauces in my rotation. This will definitely be a staple in my meal prep catalogue. It made four large portions of curry, which i stored with rice. Keeps very well in the fridge and tastes just as yummy, especially after the flavours mingled. I used three yukon gold potatoes, a large yellow onion, two large carrots and a large red bell pepper for my veg! Perfect perfect perfect!
★★★★★
Hi Nicole,
Thank you so much for your feedback and review, I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed it! Love the addition of bell peppers, I’ll be adding that next time 🙂
This recipe is so good! I’ve made a few times now as it’s so tasty and really easy! Have tried adding coffee, chocolate, white and red wine always turns out delicious
★★★★★
Hi all store bought Japanese curry roux has wheat flour in it to thicken. So if your recipe has store bought it can’t be gluten free.
Yes, thats why I have provided my gluten free curry cube recipe! 🙂
No mention of when to add soy curls.
it says right after the potatoes! 🙂
I’ve made this twice now and I love how easy and versatile it is! I like it over rice and then also as a base for ramen. Didn’t have any soy curls so I omitted it altogether, but still felt like this meal was filling and delicious 🙂
★★★★★
I love this. I made the roux and keep them in the freezer. It’s such a perfect weeknight dinner. I have subbed out the soy curs for tvp, chickpeas and red kidney beans bc I couldn’t fin it. Kidney beans so far is the best sub. The creaminess of the beans really adds to the dish. Highly recommend. I also find that it could be a bit too sweet so I skip the ketchup and sugar
★★★★★
I made this last night for myself and my husband and we both loved this! I had only tried Japanese curry once in a vegan restaurant in Japan and had no idea how easy it would be to make at home. I made two modifications: I didn’t have soy curls, so I tossed in some air fried tofu in the last couple of minutes just to add some protein back in, and my husband hates mushrooms so I left them out. For my hidden flavors I added caramelized onions, ketchup, and cocoa powder, and I look forward to experimenting with some of the other suggestions too.
★★★★★
I made the curry with this recipe and with homemade roux and it was delicious!
Super creamy, fragrant and flavourful. I tried curry with tofu katsu, fried eggplant and chickpies and i don’t think i’ll never leave this recipe.
★★★★★
I‘m dreaming of this! It was so delicious, will for sure be eaten on repeat the next weeks!!
★★★★★
I made the homemade roux and this curry and it was sooo good. The recipe was very easy to follow and made making japanese curry at home surprisingly simple.
★★★★★
When I’m craving Japanese curry, this is my GO TO recipe. At first I was intimidated bc it has more ingredients than other recipes I have seen that just tell you to add the curry cubes and a couple of veg. I tried those recipes and can confidently say this is my fave recipe to date! Ps I like to do it in my instant pot but I think either way will be amazing. I usually make some (tofu) katsu with rice to go alongside this and *chefs kiss* another note, I do add my own extra seasonings bc I like mine VERY spicy but I recommend this for yourself, your family and friends 🙂
★★★★★
Delicious! Used 2 different boxed curries, I didn’t feel like caramelizing an onion so I used brown sugar, a little bit of drip coffee, and sake in addition to the other flavors above. Will definitely make again! Thanks!
★★★★★
Love this recipe — I’ve never tried adding sugar or ketchup to my curry before, but I’m so glad I got to experience some new flavors and level up my Japanese curry game with this recipe. Lisa/Okonomi Kitchen never disappoints with her recipes. Next time, I’m going to try adding apple and more carrots to my curry!
★★★★★
Best Japanese curry recipe I’ve ever tried—it tastes so proper and it brought me right back to Japan!
I used a block (next time I’ll try it with my homemade roux), and adding soy sauce, ketchup and instant coffee really brought the flavour up a notch!
Thank you for your recipes Lisa, they’re always amazing <3
★★★★★
I was craving for Japanese curry for weeks and when Lisa posted this recipe, I tried it right away. I usually use the already made roux but since I’ve been vegan/vegetarian, I decided to try this! I may be added too much water with a vege broth so I had to add a few more things I had in our kitchen. Manzana banana and Mexican mole powder. It tasted great! Next time, I’ll try apple and coco or coffee to test it out! Thank you, Lisa!
★★★★★
Absolutely delicious! I doubled the recipe and it came out perfect! So much flavor. Definitely will be making again.
★★★★★
This is truly the real deal. Tastes EXACTLY like how I remember it to be. Instructions and recipe were easy to follow. FIRST recipe I have ever followed precisely. Don’t forget to add some of the ingredients listed in the hidden flavors section. Sure brings the kare to a whole different level. I cannot wait for my family to visit so I can prepare this meal for them. Thank you Lisa! 🖤
★★★★★
Used texturized soy protein instead of soy curls and it was still delicious !! Don’t be scared to add the hidden flavors, y’all–they make the magic happen. I can’t wait to make it again, this time with tofu katsu!
★★★★★
Soooo good!!!! 💛
Easier than I thought, I really like it
★★★★★
Hi Lisa!
This is probably a very dumb question but I want to make this recipe soon so it’s better if I ask before making a mess.
I don’t see any oil in the ingredients and recipe starts with ” …add onions and fry for 1 minute…”. Do you add oil in the pot to fry the onions or you just cook them like that?
I hope you can help, thanks!!!
Yes add a little oil!
I’m obsessed, Lisa. This one is on the regular rotation. Don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it!!
Next to try kare pan… ahh!!! I need to save some curry though. Very difficult.
★★★★★
This recipes is so yummy!! Dare I say, I prefer it more than Indian curry 👀 I love the addition of the soy curls for more protein and a meaty texture. I’ll be making this every winter as comfort food! 😋
★★★★★
Delicious Japanese curry!
I used this recipe to make Japanese curry for the first time from scratch and it worked so well. The suggested Kakushi aji (hidden flavours) made for a lovely addition to the curry’s flavour.
I will definitely be making this again, thank you Lisa!
★★★★★
Really yum! Made it with your curry powder recipe and used tofu and kumara. A great hit with the husband and toddler. I wasn’t game enough to try the cocoa this time, but perhaps next time!
★★★★★
This was one of the best Japanese curries I’ve ever had. The kakushi aji really added a depth to the flavour. I served it with the tofu katsu recipe and it was glorious!
★★★★★
Great recipe, turned out great! Ended up using a corn starch slurry to thicken an added some grated apple per the recommended additives, delicious!
★★★★★
I lived in Japan as a teenager in the early 80s, and remember fondly the Curry Rice (“Cully Lice”) we used to eat on the ski slopes at lunch time, especially on an extra cold day. The flavor is so distinctive, I’ve remembered it all these years later. This recipe is EXACTLY the flavor I remember, and brings me right back to those days. Truly authentic.
I can’t find soy curls where I live, so I left that out, and subbed extra carrots and potatoes. I used tofu once. Thought I’d try sweet potatoes next time.
★★★★★
Soooo delicious and easy to make. I omitted the caramelized onions, worcester/tonkatsu sauce, and cocoa powder from the kakushi aji mix but did add a couple pieces of dark chocolate and it turned out incredible.
★★★★★
I made this curry and mistakenly doubled the recipe, which is only a bad thing because I don’t have space in my freezer for all the extra curry! Unless you want to cook a really large batch no need to double up.
The recipe was super easy to follow and contained so much useful information. Since I have so much curry I’ve been giving it to all my nearest and dearest and they’ve all loved it. The meat eaters didn’t even realize it was vegan until I told them.
The closest comparison I could make to something I’ve eaten before would be if katsu curry and beef stew had a baby.
I couldn’t find soy curls, but I managed to find soy chunks which I assume is basically the same thing.
For my hidden flavors I used Tamari soy sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, a shot of espresso, caramelized onions and mirin.
The depth and complexity of flavors just blew my mind. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!
★★★★★
What a lovely recipe! I wanted to treat myself to a warm date-style dinner and decided to try out this curry, and oh my, it was sooo good! I used shiitake and swapped out the puréed apple with one banana to make up for my nonexistent food processor. Not only that, but I added caramelized onions, and they indeed really helped enhance the curry! My anti-curry fellow vegan roommate tried a spoonful and was convinced right away, so if that isn’t a win~
I used to eat a lot of Japanese-style curry back then as one of my go-to comfort foods when I was studying in Korea (and not vegan yet), and it tasted just the same (but now it’s even vegan!!), so it felt like revisiting good memories 🙂 I am glad I have tried this recipe out and happy that I can now fall back to this now and then without missing curry anymore. Thank you lots, Lisa!
★★★★★
Dear Lisa, thank you for this Sonderfall and easy recipe. Ist ist Really delicous. I was in Japan in 2015 with my fiance and this just taste like a curry we had there. I like the simlply components of vegatables in it, the creamyness and obv the look. And as a vegan, I Love your Recipes.
★★★★★
I think this is my first time trying Japanese curry and it was AMAZING! I used store-bought curry cubes but followed Lisa’s recipe for the add-ins and hidden flavors. The curry paired with Lisa’s tofu katsu recipe is a mouthwatering combination. Highly recommend preparing both for the best experience!
I did not have mushrooms or soy curls but the curry still turned out hearty & delicious. Next time, I would skip on the sugar since my store-bought cubes already had sweeteners.
★★★★★
Delicious and easy! Will be making this regularly. I found the soy curls got a bit spongey so might try with tofu next time.
★★★★★
Hey Lisa! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I love Japanese curry but haven’t had it since I went vegan, so I’m very excited to try this out. Just wanted to point out, though, that Worcestershire sauce is not vegan as it contains sardines. (Yes, even the Japanese version.) Might not be an issue for some readers, but it’s probably worth adding a note for readers who are looking to keep this strictly vegan/vegetarian. Thank you!
The one suggested is vegan 🙂
Easy, delicious, and hard to mess up. 10/10 would recommend. I can’t 100% tell if the kakushi aji added depth of flavour so I am tempted to do a side by side comparison one day. I ate an ungodly amount of rice because of how good this curry was.
★★★★★
This recipe is so easy to make and the instructions so simple to follow, even I couldn’t screw it up. Ridiculously tasty and I really like the fact that it encourages us to experiment with kakushi aji, which means your curry never need be the same twice – one basic recipe and a world of possibilities! And as an added bonus, the left-overs keep really well in the fridge for a couple of days and…maybe…taste even better?
10 out of 5 with many thanks for sharing this awesome vegan recipe with the world.
★★★★★
The absolute best. Cannot recommend this recipe enough. It’s easy to prepare yet tastes like it took hours to make. Thank you, Lisa, for continuing to create delicious recipes.
★★★★★